Who is More Powerful Google or Microsoft?

As a webmaster and online content creator, the hot topic I have seen discussed most often this past week is the Google change in its core ranking algorithm. What that means in simple terms, the secret formula for how Google ranks websites has been changed.

According to Google it wanted to decrease the rankings of content farms, sites which according to the critics have low content value, and are just there to create advertising revenue. Many of the folks who use income from online writing to earn a living are fearful that the changes made by Google will have a significant impact on them.

Has Google Become the Web?

Stop for a moment and think about it, the company name has actually become a verb in the English language. When you want an answer to a question, you sit down at your computer and you "Google" the question. Want to know something, go "Google" it.

Has the day arrived that a company has taken over Microsoft as the dominant technology company?

Rivals Fear Growing Influence

Just a few years ago if you were reading a story about the giant technology corporation that was looking to devour its competition, either through acquisition or brute strength in the marketplace, the company being discussed could easily have been Microsoft. In recent weeks those same thoughts are being used to describe Google.

Google Battles Microsoft on Internet Influence

Microsoft won the browser wars of the 1990s winning the battle over rival Netscape, but now Google battles for share of the desktop browser with Google Chrome. While recent reports showing Google Chrome with only 10% of the Market Share, that is a significant number that continues to grow. It is impressive considering Internet Explorer comes with the operating system, and Google Chrome must be downloaded and installed by the end user.

Firefox still maintains over a 20% market share. Firefox is the continuing evolution of the Mozilla technology formerly used by Netscape.

Microsoft battled Netscape long and hard for the browser market under the assumption that the winner would dominate the web portal business, and in turn dominate online advertising. That argument has never been proven by Microsoft, as even after winning the browser wars they have had a hard time winning the web portal market.

Microsoft Battles Back on Search Engines

For all its dominance in software in the past decade, Microsoft has struggled to maintain a top ranked web presence. The Microsoft Network, known now simply as MSN, was launched in 1995, It started out as a simple online service for Windows 95 users.

MSN was reorganized in 2005 under the new Windows Live to tackle the competition from rivals Yahoo! and Google. In its initial release, several Windows Live properties were re-branded and enhanced from Microsoft's MSN set of products and services.

In yet another attempt at the search engine and web portal front Microsoft would launch a new product known as Bing in 2009. After an unsuccessful attempt to take over Yahoo in 2008, Microsoft would start negotiations to team with Yahoo to create a partnership on the search engine front. In an effort to tackle Google's dominance as a web portal, Microsoft and Yahoo reached an agreement in 2009 to become search engine partners.

Google Front Runner in Traffic and Advertising

Google dominates internet traffic as the most visited site on the web, and YouTube, another Google owned property is the third most visited site. Sandwiched between the Google sites at number two is Yahoo.

Google has used its dominance to create an advertising product that works all sizes of advertisers as well as content providers. Google AdWords advertising product for businesses offers pay-per-click advertising and site targeted advertising for both text and banner ads. The advertising is delivered through the Google AdSense advertisement program for Website owners.

Google Takes on Microsoft in Applications

For years the Microsoft Office Suite was the standard application for word processor, spreadsheet, and other office productivity. Along comes Google Docs, a free Web based alternative to Microsoft Office that allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.

As the world moves from desk top computers to smaller hand held devices Google leads the development of the Android mobile phone operating system to take on Windows Phone 7.

Who is More Powerful?

There is no clear cut answer to the question, but it does create a lively debate. With all the anti-trust suits and litigation against Microsoft for becoming a monopoly going on, were we all too distracted to see that Google is taking over?

Sources:

Google Clamps Down on Content Factories

Google Chrome surpasses 10% market share

Microsoft and Yahoo: Search partners

Is Google Too Powerful?